California State University, Monterey Bay Digital Commons @ CSUMB Capstone Projects and Master's Theses Capstone Projects and Master's Theses 12-2020 How Can Social Emotional Learning Be Improved During Distance Learning? Morgan Horn California State University, Monterey Bay Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes_all Part of the Educational Methods Commons, Educational Technology Commons, and the Elementary Education Commons Recommended Citation Horn, Morgan, "How Can Social Emotional Learning Be Improved During Distance Learning?" (2020). Capstone Projects and Master's Theses. 935. https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes_all/935 This Capstone Project (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Capstone Projects and Master's Theses at Digital Commons @ CSUMB. It has been accepted for inclusion in Capstone Projects and Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CSUMB. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Running Head: How Can Social Emotional Learning 1 How Can Social Emotional Learning Be Improved During Distance Learning? Morgan B. Horn California State University Monterey Bay LS 400: Senior Capstone Dr. Patty Whang December 18, 2020 Running Head: How Can Social Emotional Learning 2 Abstract Social emotional learning (SEL) is an important aspect of school that does not get enough attention. Many teachers are currently focused on academics instead of how their students are handling the stress of COVID-19 and distance learning. The focus issue addressed in this capstone project is SEL in the online classroom during COVID-19. An argument is made that distance learning causes a higher rate of mental health problems in students in all grade levels. Considerations of the issue should include the perspectives of teachers, parents, and students. The three action options that emerged from an analysis of the data included: teacher teams meet regularly to share findings and brainstorming other ways to connect with students; daily/weekly check ins; and implementation of Second Step. Daily check-ins is argued to be the most effective way to achieve the goals of SEL during this difficult time of distance learning. Keywords: Mental health, distance learning ​ Running Head: How Can Social Emotional Learning 3 How Can Social Emotional Learning Be Improved During Distance Learning? Bahnson et al. (2020) explains, “Social emotional learning (SEL) refers to learning how ​ ‘to understand, manage, and express the social and emotional aspects of one’s life.’” (p. 29). ​ Children are more at risk for mental health issues because they are still learning what it means to have emotions, and how to handle their emotions. Since coronavirus this issue has escalated due to the fact that all students and teachers were forced to switch from in class teaching to online teaching. This increased students’ mental health “issues”; more anxiety, more depression, loneliness, and feeling disconnected to their peers. The only way to help improve this situation is by implementing curriculums that focus on SEL, and performing daily or weekly check-ins with each student. SEL in the online classroom is a major problem nowadays, but with the help of teachers, parents, students, and the community, it can get better as COVID-19 keeps pushing forward. What is the problem? Social emotional learning is a key aspect in our mental health lifestyle; however since coronavirus, countless cases of mental health issues have increased at an astonishing rate especially in school aged children. Since March 2020, the majority of schools have been closed due to COVID-19. A study confirmed, “...20% to 35% of respondents report anxiety, 20% to 30% report depressive symptoms...10% to 30% report severe stress” (Hamza et al., 2020 p. 2). This statistic might not seem outrageous, but when we are looking at children, it has a significantly different meaning. Children are at a higher risk for mental health disorders because they are not fully aware of how to address their feelings. Distance learning has made a significant impact on all teachers and students’ lives in the Running Head: How Can Social Emotional Learning 4 past seven months. A combined study involving Italy and Spain proved that young students’ mental health has become distinguishably worse due to the known fact of being quarantined, and having to do school online (Caffo et al., 2020 p. 167). Both of these factors make it difficult for students to fully interact with their classmates. Distance learning not only affects students’ social emotional learning, but it also affects their engagement in school. Caffo et al. (2020) specifies, “...difficulties in concentration, boredom, irritability, and loneliness” (p. 167). When children are forced to do their education online at home, they have to have determination in order to concentrate, and find a way to accept that they are working by themselves majority of the time. Sadly, none of these are easy tasks to do for any age child. COVID-19 has made this issue quite difficult for the majority of teachers and students to handle on their own. Why Is It An Issue? SEL in the virtual classroom is a major issue in today’s society because there are a variety of consequences that have been discovered. The primary disadvantage of online learning is the amount of time children actually get to be a child; playing, experimenting, and making friends. Avila et al. (2020) clarifies, “Play is an essential part of children’s physical and social development; however, during isolation and social distancing, the world is relying on technology to learn, live, and stay connected” (p. 10). Since everything moved to online, children are suffering in multiple aspects of their life. They are not getting to interact with their friends or their teachers. As a result, teachers are getting significant pressure put on them to help students with their social emotional health. Not only are they trying to make sure the students are understanding the information that is being given to them, but they are also trying to make sure their students’ mental health is being managed properly. Avila et al. (2020) distinguishes that, Running Head: How Can Social Emotional Learning 5 “...children might find it difficult to understand what they are seeing online...they are vulnerable to anxiety, stress, and sadness” (p. 10). The students are struggling with how to cope with their mental health during these different times. Another significant disadvantage is that SEL is being correlated with poor state testing scores. More times than not when teachers want to teach SEL, they have to take time away from the major subjects. Hart et al. (2020) goes into detail, “...teaching SEL requires replacing time that would otherwise be spent on a different type of instruction or activity” (p. 6). In this situation, it is important to consider which is more important; state testing scores or students’ mental health. Martinsone (2016) argues, “A combination of academic and social emotional learning is crucial for achieving the educational goals of the 21st century” (p. 57). In order for any person to be successful in today’s society, there needs to be an equal balance between academic learning and SEL. This can be a difficult task, because some teachers might believe that academic learning is more important than social emotional learning. A final disadvantage is the longer that students stay in quarantine, the worse their mental health gets. When students are forced to do their schooling online for months at a time, it affects their ability to have control over their mental health. Fatini et al. (2020) emphasizes, “...children experiencing isolation and quarantine have shown an increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, grief, and adjustment disorder” (p. 2). It is hard to find an equal balance between COVID-19 and students’ social emotional health. However, since schools have no way to change the current situation, teachers are going to have to do the best they can with SEL in their classrooms. What Should Be Done? Running Head: How Can Social Emotional Learning 6 There is an assortment of actions that can be taken to improve SEL in the online classroom. The first thing that can be done is implementing the Second Step into the school curriculum. Moy et al. (2018) described the Second Step Program as, “...a universal social-emotional learning program designed to decrease antisocial behaviors, increase prosocial behaviors…” (p. 333). By implementing this program in schools, teachers will be able to balance academic learning and social emotional learning. In the grand scheme of education and SEL, teachers are important factors to childrens’ mental health. Teachers are with students for at least six hours a day; therefore, they have a better sense of their student’s mental health. Larsen & Samdal specify, “...teachers are increasingly important in the process of emotional regulation, through their ability to help children label, manage, and express emotions they experience in the classroom” (p. 633). Parents can help the regulation of their child’s mental health, but they are not with their child for eight hours a day at school; therefore, it is put on the teachers to help students acknowledge and understand their emotions. Moy et al. (2018) goes on to state, “Five core competencies have been established within the framework of SEL: Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making” (p. 337). By teaching these five elements to students, their mental health will increase with each lesson learned. Not only are the students getting taught from a well designed curriculum, they are also getting taught from teachers that are trained in this material. Four different schools got the opportunity to be selected as a case for the Second Step trial before it officially came out. Figure 1 shows the four cases, how each case implemented the program, what grade the staff member taught, formal education, the amount of training received, and how many years they used Second Step.